Well
I like the concept of the story. But there was something missing. I can
honestly say that it is the first historically romantic book, specially
a Scot one that are my faves, which I give it less than 4 stars.

It
might have being that everything was happening to fast or that
everything was kind of the same in the way that Bliss was always waylaid
and that it always was for the same thing. And also that there was no
surprises. She knew that something was going to happened and I was
always expecting it.

I think there was something missing in the
intimate moments as well. It was just to much on the surface and kind of
fast. Other than that I think it was an okay story with many truths
revealed and some tears shed.

I would have liked more drama and more action. But that epilogue was awesome. I didn't know that was what he'd mumbled.

I'm sorry Barracuda but you just fell in second place. This is my favorite book on the series so far. I couldn't read this book in one sitting. My tears wouldn't let me! I had to stop many times to take a breather and stop the tears. Mrs. Rylon outdid herself with this one, and I thought Barracuda and Meep made my cry.

My heart was hurting for Gavyn. It was just so heart breaking to see him struggle and break down. I also got pissed at him a little bit for pushing the people in his life who could help him. In the end I'm happy that he accepted the support of all and that he took the necessary steps to protect himself in the future; like the restaurant scene.

I was also glad to see the Powertools and Hot Rods gang together again. That is something I like about Jayne's books. Just because their books are done the gangs don't fade to the background. And that ending? OMG I can't wait for Tom and Willy's book!

Summary

EIGHT PASSIONATE LOVE STORIES ABOUT AMAZING MILITARY HEROES

To honor and empower those who've served, all author and publisher proceeds go to the Wounded Warrior Project.

The Wounded Warrior Project was founded in 2002 and provides a wide range of programs and services to veterans and service members who have survived physical or mental injury during their brave service to our nation. Get involved or register for programs and benefits for yourself and your family online at www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

The Authors

Suzanne Brockmann on “Home Fire Inferno”

I write about a SEAL team, so my military heroes tend to show up in a rather large group! And although Home Fire Inferno focuses on Navy SEAL Dan Gillman (whose wife, Jenn, is about to have a baby!), you’ll also see quite a bit of Izzy Zanella, along with Mark Jenkins, Jay Lopez, and the inimitable Senior Chief Stan Wolchonok. Readers will also get to meet the SEAL with the face of a serial killer and the intriguing nickname HoboMofo . . . who happens to live with his mother and his ten-year-old daughter. But all the SEALs in this story would be in full agreement that family is the one word answer to the question “What is your military hero/ine most excited about returning to after active duty?”

Honoring love and family is a long-held tradition in the U.S. Navy. A ritual called the First Kiss is still practiced for ships returning to their homeports. (Google “US Navy first kiss tradition” to see pictures that will brighten your day!) All married sailors, officer and enlisted alike, can take part in a lottery in which the winner is the first to disembark, greet, and kiss his or her spouse after many months away from home. It’s a huge deal, with boatloads of ceremony involved. This is the big, bad U.S. Navy, part of the most powerful military force in the world. But everyone—from admirals to seamen recruits—unabashedly recognize that the most important part of their homecoming lies in the arms of the men and women waiting for them.

Julie Ann Walker on “Hot As Hell”

Despite running missions to the ass ends of the earth, Navy SEAL Michael “Mad Dog” Wainwright from Hot as Hell is a family man at heart. Born and raised in Atlantic City, he longs for the sea when he’s conducting sorties in the desert. Hankers for the boardwalk when he’s belly deep in some bog in the jungle. And craves a slice of Tony Bologney’s pizza when he’d eaten one-too-many MREs – meals ready to eat – to count. So when Michael gets time off from missiles and mayhem, you can bet your bottom dollar he races home to be with his two brothers and his mother and father. Together, they make a night of pizza, walks along the boardwalk, salt water taffy, and some tossing of the dice at one of Atlantic City’s seaside casinos. It’s a bit of normalcy in a life that’s otherwise filled by the extraordinary. A bit of fun in a world Michael knows can be full of horror and woe. A bit of life to go along with so much death. Michael “Mad Dog” Wainwright lives for those moments, for those homecomings. They’re what he fights for…

Catherine Mann on “In Plain Sight”

Tech Sergeant Gavin “Bubbles” Novak isn’t known for a sparkling wit, but his steely eyed focus on the job has made him the go-to guy in the most stressful of pararescue missions. Until a fateful military mission leaves him blind and ends his Air Force career. With nowhere else to go, he returns to his small Kentucky hometown with his seeing-eye dog and takes a job as a 9-1-1 operator. His first day on the job brings a voice from the past, the only woman who has ever blasted through that tough shell to reach his soul - his high school sweetheart Stacie Curry. She’s being stalked by her abusive ex-husband and he’s broken into her home.

Stacie Curry thought she made the safe choice in marrying the hometown boy rather than leaving with brooding outsider Gavin. But her decision has led to a nightmare existence. Since her divorce, she is stalked and terrorized by her ex. When she calls 9-1-1, she’s stunned to hear Gavin’s deep voice on the other end of the line. And when she sees him face to face afterward, she’s shocked – and heartbroken – to learn he’s blind. But she soon finds Gavin will let nothing stand in the way of protecting her.

Learning to overcome the loss of his sight and his Air Force career, Gavin comes to her rescue, protecting her, helping expose her ex … and rekindling their old romance with a blazing-hot flame.

Tina Wainscott on “Beauty and the Marine”

Once the gorgeous golden boy of his small Georgia town, Marine Griff Tate returned home scarred from an explosion in Afghanistan. Now, the only people he sees are his family and the out-of-towners he takes hunting and fishing on their private acreage. Griff thinks that all he wants is to be with his family in the comfort of the woods in which he spent his youth. He can barely look at himself in the mirror—how can he expect a woman to want to wake up to his ugly mug every morning? But even a battle-scarred veteran needs love … even if he doesn’t know it!

Anne Elizabeth on “SEALed with Passion”

Navy SEAL LT Cmdr Jonah Melo has his feet back on American soil. That's when the itchy-need begins--to get back into the action and/or to fill his time with something useful. Luckily, he's got an opportunity to jump in and do a building project for the Wounded Warriors. This particular house is special because it's going to be the home of his long-time friend Kevin Toms. Melo has participated in a lot of builds before, but seeing his buddy in a home that enables his happiness and mobility is going to top the list of experiences. If only he could be as blessed in love as he is in friendship.

M.L. Buchman on “NSDQ”

U.S. Army Captain Lois Lang knows only one thing, flying combat search-and-rescue helicopters into the heart of the battlezone and getting her people back out. And when a CSAR mission gone wrong forces her to make the ultimate sacrifice—for her it isn’t a choice. Her crew and the wounded they’ve recovered always come first.

But the battle that awaits her will test her limits. She can learn to walk again, but she must discover the strength to face what to do when she can’t fly.

Kate SeRine on “Torn”

During his deployment, the thing that kept Joe Dawson going was the thought of returning home to Sadie—his best friend since childhood and the woman he’s been in love with for as long as he can remember. But a mission gone wrong has left him scarred—both inside and out. And when he and Sadie finally share an unexpected moment of passion, Joe has a hard time believing that Sadie could have feelings for the damaged man he has become and worries that her heart is being ruled by pity and not love.

Those doubts are compounded now that he’s set to resume his duty as a deputy sheriff. With his father and three brothers already making names for themselves with successful law enforcement careers, the pressure’s on, leaving Joe torn between honoring the family tradition and leaving behind the only career he’s ever known outside the military.

Lea Griffith on her inspiration for “War Games”

There are many things I could tell you about my stepfather. He married a wonderful woman with a tiny, 6 year old girl from a previous marriage who still wondered why her daddy couldn’t be a daddy—and then he became a stepfather and helped raise her. A strict disciplinarian he nevertheless was giving to a fault. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War. (Side note: he refused to call it a “conflict”. He always said, “When people kill people like we killed people that’s a goddamn war.” Finally, I guess I’d tell you he was one of the most tortured souls I have ever known. In the midst of his torment, the nightmares and flashbacks, the anger that always simmered just below the surface there was a strength to be admired and it is that strength that makes him one of my heroes.

My stepdad was born and raised in a little town called Tennille, Georgia. It’s nothing but country with field after field of corn and cotton and country folk living a simple life. When young men came of age they either went into the family business of cotton and corn or they went into the service and this is the route William Thomas Howell, Jr. took. He entered the Air Force and lost any innocence he might have once had running tactical rescue and recovery missions in Vietnam of which he would say nothing about. I remember asking him what war was like and he refused to answer. Then one day when he was talking about Vietnam—not the war, mind you, but the country itself—I asked him what he missed the most about home when he was “in country”. He smiled and for some reason my gut clenched and I remember wishing I hadn’t asked the question. But then he answered and I had to smile with him. “Lightning bugs,” he said. “Lightning bugs and Coca Cola.”

My stepdad passed away almost nine years ago. He has missed the births of several of his grandchildren and the marriage of one of his children. But in the midst of his loss, he left a legacy that includes perseverance, giving and most of all a love of Coca Cola.

Oh, and the lightning bugs. I cannot forget the tiny bugs with the “lights in their butts”. It seems the smallest bug made a light big enough for my stepdad to yearn for. They make me smile every time spring comes. And yes, because he made me smile with his longing for lightning bugs I taught my girls how to catch them and put them in a mason jar for a little while before you release them. This more than anything else has helped me remember him.

About the Authors

Suzanne Brockmann

Suz Brockmann is the award-winning author of over fifty books, and is widely recognized as one of the leading voices in romantic suspense. Her work has earned her repeated appearances on the New York Times bestseller list, as well as numerous awards, including Romance Writers of America's #1 Favorite Book of the Year and two RITA awards.

Julie Ann Walker is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romantic suspense. Her books have been described as “alpha, edgy, and downright hot.” Most days you can find her on her bicycle along the lake shore in Chicago or blasting away at her keyboard, trying to wrangle her capricious imagination into submission.

USA Today bestselling author Catherine Mann specializes in military romances with over 50 books in print. A RITA winner, she has also won the Bookseller's Best Award. Catherine's books have been widely released internationally including in Great Britain, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Iceland, Australia, and Japan. She lives with her husband, who is a combat veteran and retired Air Force Colonel, near Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle.

Tina Wainscott has always loved the combination of suspenseful chills and romantic thrills. She's published fifteen romantic suspense novels, as well as ten paranormal romances as Jaime Rush. Losing her nephew, a Marine, in the war made her realize that our military men are really the perfect heroes. Not only during the war but afterward as they try to stitch their lives and souls together once they're home.

New York Times bestselling author Anne Elizabeth is an award-winning romance author and comic creator. With a BS in business and MS in communications from Boston University, she is a regular presenter at conventions as well as a member of The Author’s Guild and Romance Writers of America. Anne lives with her husband, a retired Navy SEAL, in the mountains above San Diego.

M. L. Buchman has over 30 novels in print. His military romantic suspense books have been named Barnes & Noble and NPR “Top 5 of the year” and Booklist “Top 10 of the Year.” He also writes thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction. In addition to his career as a corporate project manager he has: rebuilt and single-handed a fifty-foot sailboat, both flown and jumped out of airplanes, designed and built two houses, and bicycled solo around the world. He is now making his living as a full-time writer on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife.

Kate SeRine (pronounced "serene") is a hopeless romantic who firmly believes in true love that lasts forever. So it's no surprise that when she began writing her own stories, Kate vowed her characters would always have a happily ever after. Kate lives in a smallish, quintessentially Midwestern town with her husband and two sons, who share her love of storytelling. She never tires of creating new worlds to share and is even now working on her next project.

Lea Griffith began sneaking to read her mother’s romance novels at a young age. She cut her teeth on the greats: McNaught, Woodiwiss, and Garwood. She still consumes every romance book she can put her hands on, but now she writes her own. When not working as a Practice Manager for an Internal Medicine Physician, you’ll find her at her keyboard, writing. She loves romance and nothing is off-limits when it comes to her muse. Lea lives in rural Georgia with her husband, three teenage daughters, two dogs, a cat, and a Betta fish named Coddy George.

Every one of this stories was unique and even though most of them are part of an established series they can be read as a stand alone.

I have to be honest and say that I've read only one of all this 8 authors and that is the only reason I requested this book. But I am really glad that I did because now I have more authors to look forward to reading. I am definitively reading the other books in the series of each author.

In Hot as Hell (4 Stars) I would have liked this book to be longer. To show more in the life of the characters. There was something missing in the story and I think if the book was a novel instead I could have gotten what I wanted.

In Plain Sight (5 Stars) was something different for me. When we read military romances the MC has either a missing limb, has PTSD or if gust flipping dandy. But what about those who's injuries leave them blind or deaf? Well here is one story that will tell you that they can get their HEA too.

Torn (5 Stars) is a great start to this new series Protect and Serve which will be releasing it's first novel in November. This story even for been short had a lot going on and didn't leave you hanging. I loved the chemistry between Joe and Sadie and the way they protected each other.

War Games (4 Stars) for me was like Hot as Hell, there was something missing. Maybe because it all happened in the span of 24 hours? I just would have liked it to be longer. For it to delve deeper into the story and the characters. But like Hot as Hell, it too was a great story. And if I'm not mistaken this is the only story not part of a series.

In Beauty and the Marine (5 Stars) we got Griff who had been physically scarred in war and Kristy a model. I loved this story's "dirty" side. The mud races where very exiting and the chemistry between them was off the charts good. I just would have like like with all this stories that it was longer.

NSDQ (5 Stars) was a very moving story because not everyone would have sacrificed themselves like that to save others. And it was a really beautiful thing what Clark did for Lois with the simulator. To show her that she couldn't have made a better choice if she had tried. To give her that little peace of mind.

SEALed with Passion (5 Stars) I think it's the only story in which the MC will be going back to service. The author gives us a little of history the history between the characters and the reason with which Jonah left Alisha after a night together. But it all gets cleared up and now Jonah has to help Alisha finish up her work after he distracts her.

Home Fire Inferno (5 Stars) is the only story I think you might need to read the previous books in the series to know where everyone is. But again it is not required. I understood the story all by it's own and I really liked it. The unity of the characters and the way they protect each other and all the willingness of each to do whatever they need to to keep others safe.

I didn't know if I wanted to give this book 3 or 4 stars. This is one of the few books that I've given a .5 because I'm undecided.

There were some things that annoyed the heck out of me. Mostly that Eloise was always misunderstanding what Wolf was doing. I get the scene with the king (if she didn't believe Wolf everything would have gone down the hill), and at the beginning of their marriage (since she didn't know him) but the rest I just didn't get. She didn't even had a kernel of doubt. I mean he did ask her to trust him no matter what happened and she agreed with it.

As for Wolf himself? Oh my! *Fans self* What a man. I think if the story was all from his POV this would have been a 5+ stars review. But alas it was not. He was very sure of himself and in his position within the king's ranks. Even that odious Cromwell with all his influence with the king didn't put a damp on his knowledge that the king was more likely to believe him that any of the court gossip.

I will give this series a try again with the next book Rebel Bride since I was intrigued by Hugh throughout the book and more so after that ending. I just hope I don't get annoyed by Sussanah's POV.

About

Hi all, My name's Mineliz Medina but I'm also known as Minnie. I'm a mother of two wonderful children (a boy and a girl) and I love to read. I like spending time with my babies and go to the movies. I live in the southeast near Mickey's domain. I also like to watch TV, in particular, TV series based on books...
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